Attachment for telephones.



H. R. SMITH.

ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES. APPLICATION msu JAN. 23. 1915.

1,153 8%9o Patent-ed'Sept. 14, 1915.

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HowfiRD I? SMITH anemia T UFFTWE.

HOWARD It. SMITH, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1915.

Application filed January 23, 1915. Serial No. 4,019.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Telephones, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an attachment for telephones and has for its primary object to provide a highly convenient and serviceable device for supporting a pad of paper sheets and a pencil upon the telephone in position for instant use.

The invention has for a more particular object to provide an improved combination base or supportingplate for the pad and pencil clip which may be easily and quickly secured upon the standard of the telephone or removed therefrom.

The invention has for an additional object to provide a conveniently located electric light bulb carried by the attachment whereby the writing surface will be illuminated when the telephone is positioned in a dark corner of the room.

The invention has for a further general object to improve and simplify the construction of devices of the above character whereby the same may be manufactured and retailed at a nominal cost.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telephone having my improved attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section illustrating the means for mounting the paper pad and housing the electric light battery; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale showing the securing means for the pencil clip; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the base portion of the attachment illustrating a slight modification therein.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the base of-the ordinary desk telephone and 6 the standard thereof which is provided upon its upper end with the usual transmitter mouth piece 7. From one side of the standard the receiver arm 8 projects.

My improved attachment embodies in its construction, an elongated sheet'metal plate 9 which is curved in cross-section to fit snugly against the telephone standard upon the opposite side thereof with relation to the receiver arm 8. At its lower end, the body of the plate 9 is formed with the horizontally disposed bowed resilient arms 10 which are designed for clamping engagement around the standard 6 adjacent to the base of the phone. The ends of these arms are provided with openings, one of said openings being threaded to receive a threaded clamping screw 11 whereby said arms may be tightly clamped against the standard 6. Upon its upper end, the plate 9 is formed with a similar pair of bowed arms 12, the extremities of which are also adapted to be drawn together by means of the clamping screw 13. Opposed spring clip extensions 14: project from the opposite side of the plate 9 with respect to the arms 12, and are suitably formed to receive a pencil indicated at P and clamp the same in a vertical position indparallel relation to the telephone standar 6.

The body plate 9 is formed with an angularly disposed base plate 15 upon which the rectangular housing or casing 16 is secured. This housing includes a movable end door 17 having spring hinges indicated at 18 and a suitable latch device 19 to cotiperate with the top wall of the housing and latch said door in its closed position. Within this casing or housing a suitable dry battery indicated at 20 is arranged, said battery being connected by means of suitable wires to an electric light bulb 21 which is mounted upon the base extension 15 adjacent to the clamping arm 10. The circuit for this lamp is interrupted by a switch 22, the lever or other movable element of which is mounted upon one of the walls of the housing '16.

The top wall of the housing 16 is formed at its opposite ends with the inwardly projecting retaining lugs 23. These lugs are adapted for engagement over the opposite ends of the cardboard base 24: of a pad of paper sheets indicated at 25. This base is provided in its ends with notches 26 to accommodate said lugs when the pad is arranged upon said housing or removed therefrom. The lower outer end of the cardboard base is adapted to engage against an inwardly turned stop flange 27 which is formed upon the outer longitudinal wall of the housing.

It will be readily appreciated from the above description, that my attachment may be very easily and quickly applied to the ordinary telephone now in general use, and provides means whereby a memorandum pad and pencil are at all times conveniently at hand so that the person using the telephone may take notes of the conversation. When the room in which the telephone is placed is not illuminated or the instrument is arranged in a dark corner, sufficient light for illuminating the surface of the pad may be obtained by simply moving the lever of the switch 22 to its closed position so that the circuit of the bulb 21 will beclosed and the light thrown outwardly and downwardly therefrom upon the pad surface. It will be understood that the paper sheets are smaller than the base of the pad to which they are secured along one of their edges, and from which they may be readily torn off in succession. The pencil may be easily and quickly removed from the attachment or holder.

In Fig. a of' the drawing, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the base upon which the pad is arranged. This form is employed, when the use of the electric light bulb and battery. is eliminated. The base plate 15 formed upon the lower clamping arm of the body of the device is provided upon its'end edges and its outer longitudinal edge with upwardly and inwardly projecting flanges 28. These flanges are very narrow and are designed to receive the edges of the base of the paper pad to hold the same against shifting movement. It will also be understood that the mounting and securing means for the pad may be modified in many other respects.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of use, and several advantages of my invention will be apparent.

The attachment does not necessitate any alterations whatever in the usual telephone construction, and is unconspicuous in use and does not in any way interfere with the use of the telephone. The sheet metal plate from which the attachment is formed may be nickel or japanned in accordance with the finish of the telephone.

While I have above described the preferred form and construction of the several features of my invention, it will be understood that the device is susceptible of a great many minor alterations therein, and I therefore reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. An attachment of the character described including an elongated body plate transversely curved to fit snugly upon a telephone standard, said body plate bein provided upon one of -its ends with penci retaining clip members and having an obliquely disposed base, formed upon its other end to extend outwardly and rest upon the telephone base, pad retaining means carried by the base extension of said body plate, and means for clamping said plate upon the standard of the telephone.

2. An attachment of the character described including an elongated sheet metal body plate transversely curved to fit snugly against a telephone standard, said plate be ing provided at its upper and lower ends with opposed horizontally disposed clamping arms to embrace the standard, laterally extending clip members formed on the upper end of said plate to support a pencil in parallel relation to the standard, and an obliquely disposed outwardly projecting pad receiving base formed upon the lower end of said body plate.

3. An attachment of the character described including a sheet metal body plate transversely curved to fit snugly against a telephone standard, means for removably clamping said plate upon the standard, said plate being provided upon its upper end with laterally projecting spring clip members to. receive a pencil and support the same in parallel relation to the standard, an obliquely disposed outwardly extending base formed upon the lower end of said body plate, a housing arranged upon said base, a battery in said housing, an electric light bulb mounted upon the body plate above the base, circuit connections between said bulb and the battery, a switch in said circuit, and pad retaining means arranged upon the outer wall of said housing.

4. An attachment of the character described including a body plate provided with means for securing the same upon a telephone standard, a housing on one end of said plate adapted to rest upon the telephone base, pad retaining means on the top wall of said housing, an electric light bulb mounted in the body plate, and supply batteries for said bulb arranged in said housin In testimony whereof I hereunto a x my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HOWARD B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EDGAR B. MURDOCH, JEANETTA F. BLACK. 

